Jim Downey wrote about last Friday’s Smooth Landing:
George is playing Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi tonight and that is some of nicest, happiest music on the planet. Amazing that it comes from Zimbabwe, which is one of the poorest and most depressing country in the world. Thank you so much!
Listener Miguel wrote:
On last week's Friday Feedback, I was quite saddened by how the station manager chose to handle a quite legitimate comment about the euphemisms like "corporate underwriters" being used by on-air personalities to mask the fact that WHQR runs commercials for business products and services. In response to the listener pointing out this reality, the manager defensively resorted to using legalese about how a "commercial" is defined by the FCC rather than owning up to the reality that his station interrupts programming to advertise businesses and gets paid for doing so; that is a commercial, no matter what he tells himself. We expect this kind of equivocation and silly word play from politicians and lawyers but not from public radio. You are insulting to the intelligence of the WHQR audience when you treat us like gullible children, and your doing so last week was especially galling since your station had just finished asking for our money during a fundraising campaign. You can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig. You can rename commercials as "messages from our corporate underwriters" but they are still commercials.
I wrote to Miguel to ask if he was the anonymous writer of last week’s message, and haven’t heard back. Regardless, I stand by the response I gave last week, which you can find in the Friday Feedback section of whqr-dot-org.
Lightnin' Bob Kurowski wrote on Tuesday:
What a great "mistake" today at 12:20 pm The "Rags To Richard" was wonderful. I loved it. Keep it in the lineup! Makes me feel delighted I just sent my check to WHQR! WHQR is the best!
If you didn’t hear the segment, what Lightnin’ Bob is referring to is a glitch in a CD in our library. Jemila Ericson was interviewing Wilmington-born composer Meira Warshauer and played what the disc indicated was her composition Yes! Instead it was a work by Carter Pann. Jemila and Ms. Warshauer enjoyed the piece and we’re glad Bob did too.
I didn’t run out of listener pledge drive comments last week. Here are a few more:
Mary Ann Swain of Wilmington said:
Let’s get the People’s Pharmacy program.
Darrien Brooks said
WHQR is part and parcel of Wilmington’s cultural, artistic, and social life. I am proud to be a loyal listener and supporter.
Claudia Kell of Leland said:
I think I found WHQR on my 1st day here in 2005, set the dial to it in my house and my car and have enjoyed it every day since! Many, many driveway and even parking garage moments over the years that have enriched my life.
Emily and Sims Wiolkes said:
We are big NPR fans, just moving from Asheville and really love your station.
We’d love to hear from you on Friday Feedback. You can always leave a message via email to feedback@WHQR.org. Our Feedback Phone is 910-292-WHQR. That’s 292-9477. And thanks for your feedback.